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In response to the Bush Administration's plans to cut U.S. seniors' Medicare-financed nursing home care in the FY 2009 budget, the Coalition to Protect Senior Care (CPSC) and the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) will hold a press briefing on Thursday to call on Congress to fight the cuts, as both groups did last fall when they successfully opposed congressional efforts to cut Medicare Part A nursing home benefits.
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Medicare costs are substantially rising due to growing numbers of retirees in need of more healthcare services. However, the President's budget plan shared on Monday would unreasonably cut $196 billion in funding for Medicare and Medicaid -- the two programs that provide most medical care for the elderly and poor -- over the next five years. Further, most of the budget savings would be generated by freezing the rates Medicare pays for hospital, nursing home and hospice services for the next three years.
The CPSC and NAHCA -- representing health care assistants, long term care nurses, certified nursing assistants and others who deliver round-the-clock, front-line care to seniors -- will discuss how these dangerous funding cuts would harm overall patient care for seniors while disproportionately impacting women, rural seniors, the caregiver community, and others, and will share how they plan to work with their caregiver members to fight these cuts.
WHEN: Thursday, February 7
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CST
WHERE: NAHCA headquarters
2709 West 13th Street
Joplin MO
WHO: Lisa Cantrell, NAHCA Co-Founder and President and CPSC member
NAHCA Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Steering Committee members representing Missouri, Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio and caregivers nationwide
Aubrey Olney, Rhode Island front-line CNA and Public Affairs Chair of NAHCA CNA Steering Committee
WHY: According to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Medicare, on its current course, will go broke in 11 years -- and the Medicare portion of the President's budget should be considered as a stark warning to all Americans who may one day require long term care services.
CONTACT: Lisa Cantrell, +1-417-623-6049, for the Coalition to Protect Senior Care and the National Association of Health Care Assistants
/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- Feb. 6/
SOURCE Coalition to Protect Senior Care
